Faure Gnassingbe

Faure Gnassingbe (6 June 1966-) was President of Togo from 5 February 2005, succeeding Gnassingbe Eyadema.

Biography
Faure Gnassingbe was born Afagnan, Lacs Prefecture, Togo on 6 June 1966, the son of Togolese dictator Gnassingbe Eyadema, and he studied business management at the Sorbonne in Paris, France and at George Washington University in the United States. In 2002, as a member of the Rally of the Togolese People party, Gnassingbe was elected to the National Assembly as a deputy, and his father effectively made him his heir apparent by lowering the minimum presidential age to 35. Gnassingbe seized power from National Assembly president Fambare Ouattara Natchaba, who was out of the country at the time, in a coup; Natchaba chose not to return to the country out of fear that he would be assassinated. Gnassingbe killed 1,000 protesters and created 40,000 refugees, and he assumed power as the new dictatorial ruler.